Off The Eaten Path | Restaurants Worth The Journey
When it comes to American cuisine, the spotlight of prestige and prowess has always been pointed at big city restaurants – but that’s beginning to change. Chefs who once ran prestigious restaurants in hot spots like New York or Los Angeles are now packing their bags and moving to smaller towns, turning the spotlight on to the often overshadowed, lesser-known, and harder to reach destinations across America. Finding stronger roots in rural and wild places, away from the concrete jungles, these chefs are rediscovering and reinventing the American restaurant’s deep connection to the land and the people who cultivate it. These smaller enterprises are focusing more on the seasonal and sustainable by elevating local ingredients and sourcing local produce, often directly from their own on-site farm or garden. This shift is bringing renewed attention to seldom mentioned places like Marathon, Freedom and McMinnville, where these restaurants are worth the journey.
The Lost Kitchen
Freedom, Maine
The Lost Kitchen, developed by Erin French, is run out of an old renovated mill and sits deep in the woods just outside a small town named Freedom, Maine, with only 722 residents, one general store and a single post office. It’s the kind of place where locals say “if you drive too fast, you might miss it”. The Lost Kitchen opened in 2017, with no fanfare, no marketing, and no grand expectations besides hoping to make it through one season, but word of the heartwarming, wholesome meals and quirky reservations system quickly spread. The only way to get a seat at the restaurant is to mail in a physical postcard and be chosen through a lottery. French’s meals are unstuffy and simple, yet confident, bold, and most importantly – viscerally memorable.
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ōkta
McMinnville, Oregon
Founded in 2022, ōkta sits on main street in downtown McMinnville, Oregon. ōkta aims to tell the story of the Willamette Valley as an independent and rebellious wine destination in the Pacific Northwest. For decades, this Oregon region has been on the brink of becoming the next Napa and McMinnville is its unofficial capital. The restaurant, led by Michelin star chef Matthew Lightner whose previous stints have included Denmark’s Noma and New York’s Atera, is as unpretentious and down-to-earth as the Pacific Northwest itself (the dress code is simply “come as you are”) but offers a refined and inventive 10-course tasting menu that shifts with the seasons using produce from ōkta’s five acre regenerative farm and fermentation lab. Just a short drive southwest of Portland, visiting McMinnville and ōkta and experiencing this hidden gem in Oregon wine country is worth the trip.
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The Harbor House
Mendocino, CA
The Harbor House sits atop a rugged cliffside in a private cove overlooking the Pacific Ocean, just 16 miles from the small town of Mendocino, California. Each season, the award-winning restaurant innovates with the local flavors of the coast, elevating delicacies like sea urchin, seaweed, lace lichen, feather boa, kombu, wakame, nori and rainbow leaf. Chef Matthew Kammerer even harvests the restaurant’s salt directly from the ocean. The creativity and vision is evident in every dish, earning the restaurant its rightful place as the only one with Michelin stars in Mendocino county. But the true beauty of the experience lies in the remote setting, where you’ll savor a thoughtfully crafted meal in this hidden corner of California, with the waves of the Pacific crashing just beyond the restaurant’s doors.
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Aragosta
Deer Isle, Maine
Nestled in the coastal pine forests, near Stonington, a tranquil community on the rocky shores of Deer Isle, Aragosta is a hidden, culinary gem. Led by James Beard nominated chef Devin Finigan, the unassuming restaurant gives off a down east sense of hospitality, strengthened by its close-knit relationships with local growers, cheesemakers, fishermen and foragers. The menu reflects ingredients that are true embodiments of Maine – lobsters, halibut, mackerel, oysters, mussels, scallops – completely immersing you in this coastal seafaring culture.
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Inn at Little Washington
Washington, Virginia
Tucked away in a tiny, charming village just 70 miles west of Washington D.C., the Inn at Little Washington has become a destination for heads of state, Supreme Court justices, celebrities and even a queen. It’s the only restaurant in the DC area to earn three Michelin Stars and five James Beard Awards for culinary excellence. Iconically historic, the inn and restaurant started 45 years ago out of a converted gas station garage. Now, it sits in a small village with only 85 residents. The restaurant is led by chef Patrick O’Connell, self-taught and a Virginian born-and-raised, who works closely with local growers to elevate seasonal fare year round.
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12 Gage Restaurant
Marathon, Texas
Located in the heart of the ruggedly beautiful Texas Mountain Trail Region, The Gage Hotel and Restaurant resides in the enchanting town of Marathon, Texas. Flanked by both the Rocky Mountains and the Chihuahua Desert, Marathon draws from the cultures of the North American Indians, Spanish, Mexican and Anglo Cowboys and harks back to the Old West. The restaurant, led by chef Todd Ruiz, embraces its big Texas personality with pride, and takes its cue from simple and hearty hospitality. The menu showcases its Texan cuisine through elevating locally sourced wild game, beef, fowl and vegetables sourced directly from the restaurant’s garden. During your meal, you’ll be enveloped by an atmosphere of genuine hospitality, making your meal and visit to Marathon deeply personal.
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Tutka Bay Lodge
Homer, Alaska
A remote retreat nestled in an emerald bay across Kachemak Bay from downtown Homer, Tutka Bay Lodge has a reputation as one of the top wilderness lodges in the world. Serving as a perfect basecamp for travelers, the Alaskan lodge is situated at the head of a deep nine-mile fjord surrounded by vast pines, seaside coves and rocky coasts. Kirsten Dixon heads the culinary experience at the lodge, where she weaves the wild elements of Alaska backcountry into rustic and refined dishes. During your visit, you’ll be immersed in the surrounding wilderness through cedar-planked salmon, king crabs, Kachemak Bay oysters, reindeer tenderloin, poached halibut and alder-smoked wild mushrooms.
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Interested in planning your own luxury American road trip?
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